Skool TimeBudding rod builders used to learn their trades hanging around local shops and apprenticing with experienced craftsmen. Today's aspiring car crafters usually aren't so lucky. Most commercial body shops are now better at bolting on replacement fenders and slinging mud than working English wheels or reviving vintage tin. The art of swinging body hammers and files seems lost.
Thankfully, more and more tech and vocational schools see the value in teaching the craft of metal bending, fabrication, and other hot rod building and automotive restoration work. VC Tech, a branch campus of Virginia College located in Pelham, Alabama, is one of the latest to offer such classes. Its Hot Rod and Custom Motorcycle Fabrication courses include body and chassis fabrication, upholstery, and custom paint, taught by pros with years of experience. Students are eligible for specialty coursework after nine months of primary study in programs such as Automotive Collision, Refinishing Technology, and Engine Management.
VC Tech's primary automotive programs start June 28th, with specialty programs beginning in early 2005. Find out more by calling (877) 5-VCTECH or visiting the Web site at vctechnical.com.
Yesterday's Young GunsBob McCulloch from LaFollete, Tennessee, sent us a few photographs of his clean '56 Ford custom. The car was nosed and decked, and the '54 Chevy grille was treated to a few extra teeth. The rear was lowered and Buick taillights were installed, along with small fins built using the bead from the top of a '57 Chevy front fender. The interior was covered with rolled and pleated red-and-white Naugahyde, and the mill was a Ford V-8 with a two-four-barrel carb setup. "It was quite a head-turner back in the '50s," Bob reports. Eventually, Bob got rid of the Ford in an even trade for a '58 Impala HT with a Tri-Power 348, a decision he still regrets, especially since he sold the Chevy in 1965 for $250. As Bob told us, "So much for the wisdom of youth."
If you've got photos of you and your hot rod from the '40s, '50s, or '60s, mail them, along with a brief story, to: Yesterday's Young Guns, ROD & CUSTOM, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92806, or E-mail them to timothy.bernsau@primedia.com. Digital images must be jpegs, 300 dpi at 5 inches wide. Please include your address and phone number.
Durango Motor ExpoAn eclectic collection of hot rods, customs, and antique and classic cars will line the Main Street of Durango, Colorado, Saturday, May 29th at the first annual Durango Motor Expo. A collaboration of community leaders and the Durango Old Car Club have joined forces to produce this family-oriented event. Three Durango Rotary clubs will combine efforts to host a sock hop on Main Street Saturday night, as well as a poker run and tours to the historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado, and the Anasazi Heritage Center on Sunday. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund local charities and scholarships. For more information on lodging, other local attractions and online Expo registration, go to www.whatsupdocc.org.
'62 Bu...aka AirWagonAir Ride Technologies is hot rodding a '62 Buick Invicta Wagon to showcase their air suspension products. The AirWagon will be built at Precision Coachworks in Jasper, Indiana, and will be equipped with the latest Air Ride Technologies suspension equipment. It will also feature a custom-built 401 nailhead engine and 700-R4 transmission from Jasper Engines and Transmission, with a Holley throttle-body EFI system. Sikkens paint, Vintage Air, Stainless Steel Brakes, MSD Ignition, Billet Specialties, Nitto Tire, ididit, LeCarra, Dynamat, Sanderson headers, and Be Cool radiators are all contributing to the AirWagon as well. Kicker will provide the tunes. The AirWagon will debut at the Hot Rod Power Tour in Ft. Worth, Texas, on June 5 and will be seen at several Goodguys shows this summer.